If you have been in any type of auto accident, you may wonder if you need the assistance of an attorney. This is something that depends on a number of factors and you need to know what they are.
If you have been in a minor accident with minor injuries suffered and little or no property damage, you will be able to handle the insurance claim on your own. This will also help you keep more of the settlement because personal injury lawyers mostly work on a contingency basis. If your claim is small, the amount you get will be much smaller when you work with an attorney.
On the other hand, if the accident resulted in severe injuries or death, you need to talk to an experienced trucking attorney. There are many reasons for this.
Trucking insurance companies are like all other businesses and will want to protect their bottom line. They will not want to pay fair compensation to claimants because this will lower their income. If you deal with a trucking insurance company on your own, they are not going to offer you the full compensation that you deserve. These companies know that you do not have the resources, experience, and knowledge to get the compensation that you need or deserve.
A good rule of thumb for determining if you need an attorney is to note if the injuries you sustained need medical treatment. This includes emergency room treatment when the accident happened and further medical treatment. If they do, you will need to hire an attorney to help you and detail all your options.
The Advantages Of Hiring A Trucking Lawyer
Getting Peace Of Mind
Taking legal action against anyone can be very stressful even for people who handle these cases every day. The average person often finds this process to be extremely stressful as they have no experience in the legal field and the court systems. Most people do not know how to deal with insurance adjusters and settle their claims in an acceptable manner. Hiring an attorney will take the stress away from you as they have to handle the case and you can focus on getting better and recovering emotionally from the accident.
Building A Strong Case
A good attorney will tackle all new cases with the finish line in mind which is a jury trial. To ensure you get the best settlement figure, attorneys will collect and determine what evidence is vital and they will obtain it for you. They will also think about how this can be presented to a jury. This is important because jurors will have to know the extent of your injuries and how they have impacted your life.
Expert attorneys will look at the operations of the trucking company to find the root cause of the accident. In many cases, an attorney will find that the accident was preventable if the company had followed the rules or prioritized their bottom line over safety. Jurors will hate companies that neglect the rules and endanger the general public just to get ahead in business. This can clearly be seen in the verdicts of jury trials.
Offering Guidance Through The Process
A good truck accident attorney will give you all the assistance that you need through the claims process. They will be able to tell you about how you can safeguard your rights and claims before and after you have filed your claim. This will include detailing who and when you should be sharing the facts of your case with.
If you have any questions about the legal process you go through, your attorney will be able to answer them for you. Depending on the attorney, these answers will come as quickly as you need them to. They can also offer professional council and tell you all the benefits you can claim to cope with the lawsuit. This will include insurance, unemployment, and disability benefits.